How to recommit to your mission after a setback (video)

Fabulous things happen every week for you, I just know it.

And, there are things that happen that aren’t so fabulous. You might even call these setbacks.

Ever had a setback in your business or life rock your world and feel like it actually “set you back”?

Experiences like this can be rough, there’s no question about it. And, here’s the truth.

These experiences can profoundly propel you forward – if you allow yourself to be still, be grateful and channel your energy forward.

Recently, a business colleague of mine died very suddenly. It rocked my own world 100 times over.

At first it set me back. I retreated. And, I needed to retreat to move forward.

While his death is a sad thing to share, I know for certain he’d want me to teach what I’m about to teach you. That’s the kind of person he was.

I’m going to show you three steps to move through setbacks – no matter how big or small – and recommit to your mission in a bigger, bolder way than ever before.

First, let me tell you about Brian.

Recently, I committed to a year-long, utterly fabulous business development program with Lisa Cherney.

I’m one of eight members of her Inner Circle – there are seven women and one man.

On a Friday afternoon in January, we had a group call to share our achievements and commit to our next action steps.

Brian, the man in the group, was not on that call. This was strange to all of us because he always made the calls.

Brian died that day in Kauai, Hawaii. He and four friends were exploring a rocky area and a rogue wave swept up and took Brian to sea. Then, his best friend Adam was taken too. It was heartbreaking.

Brian was an incredibly vivacious and visionary human being. He was one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of someone LIVING his life.

Using my own experience of Brian’s passing, I’m going to show you how you can recommit to your own mission after any setback in your own life and business.

Learn more about this article in this short video:

And, here’s the rest of the article in written form:

Use these 3 steps to move through a setback and recommit to your mission:

1. Be still and reflect.

When a setback happens, it’s easy to brush it off and pretend nothing happened by jumping into your work and keeping busy. However, by doing that, you don’t allow yourself to learn from it and be at peace with it.

Let’s face it. Setbacks happen all the time. Maybe a dream client said no. Maybe a program launch had a glitch and you lost sales. Maybe a relative got sick. Maybe a business colleague died in a matter of seconds, like Brian did.

With Brian’s death, I went through some distinct emotions. At first I was in shock and disbelief. Then,
I felt deep sadness. Next, I felt really ticked off that he was gone – that I wouldn’t get a chance to learn from him or help him grow his business. And lastly, I celebrated him, turned his death to a sacred blessing for the shortness of life and recommitted to my own mission.

For your own setback, the emotions you go through may be similar or completely different. You need to allow yourself time to be still and reflect on how the setback is impacting you. Let yourself be with it – without brushing it off or starting something new just to feel busy and avoid it.

2. Show gratitude.

One way to feel at peace with and move forward from a setback is to reflect on what inspired you, what you learned from it and what you’re grateful for. Every setback has a lesson for you. Each one can make you stronger, if you let it. For Brian, I participated in a memorial service with others from our business development program and shared my gratitude for him.

Answer these questions related to your experience of your own setback:

• What inspired you?
• What did you learn?
• What are you grateful for?

3. Recommit to your mission.

Once you’ve answered these three questions, you’ll likely feel more at peace with the setback. Now you’re ready to take the next step – recommit to your mission – with more fortitude and inner knowing than ever. During Brian’s memorial service, we all voiced what we committed to doing – and being – in his name.

Just like you, there’s a reason I was born at this particular time in history. I am grateful to be able to live that purpose every day and that being said, leadership in the entrepreneurial world is a big responsibility and many days I feel fear of putting myself out there.

My commitment was to look at Brian’s picture anytime I feel fear while building my business. To me, his picture symbolizes courage, strength and living life large.

What is your own mission? And, based on what you learned, what can you commit to doing – or being – to recommit to your own mission? It can be as simple as looking at the picture of someone who inspires you and gives you courage. Maybe you write a journal entry about what come from the experience. Or maybe you phone a current client just to reach out and say you’re thinking of her.

A friend said Brian died in the sea for others to see.

Here’s what I know for sure that Brian would want for you.

He’d want you to grab hold of your life and live it.

He’d want you to move through setbacks, learn from them and recommit to your life’s work, every time.

And, he’d definitely want you to not waste a single second of what you have.

It’s Your Turn

Think of a setback in your life or business from the last week. Take 15 minutes to move through the 3 steps and write a comment below with ONE thing you learned from the experience. Be specific. Or, if you’d prefer, share ONE thing you do to move through setbacks in your own life.

P.S. Get clarity on what’s next in your business with a complimentary strategy call with me. You’ll walk away knowing your exact next step to LEAP your business forward.